Brooklyn jury convicts New York man accused of operating covert Beijing-linked enforcement hub in Manhattan Chinatown, intensifying scrutiny over China’s overseas influence operations
A Brooklyn federal jury has convicted a New York man accused of helping operate a covert Chinese government outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown, marking one of the most significant U.S. prosecutions tied to alleged Chinese transnational repression activities on American soil.
Lu Jianwang, a longtime U.S. citizen also known as Harry Lu, was found guilty of acting as an illegal foreign agent and obstructing justice after prosecutors alleged he helped establish and manage a clandestine Chinese “police service station” linked to Beijing’s Ministry of Public Security.
Federal officials say the case underscores mounting concerns within Washington over China’s expanding overseas influence and surveillance operations targeting dissidents, activists, and members of the Chinese diaspora living abroad.
“A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said following the verdict, calling the operation a direct violation of American sovereignty.
